Lose weight with your pedometer in 28 days

This simple 28 day walking program is now available here on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. If you want to lose weight and would like an easy program to follow then this one fits the bill. Instead of sweating away in the gym or starving yourself silly, get fit, healthy and slim one step at a time and never look back.

Available in paperback or Kindle format for immediate download. Remember you can now use free apps to read Kindle books on any device including your PC, MAC, Ipad or Android device and many other formats. Click here for app details.

Remember the “Walk Off Weight with Your Pedometer” walking program works with any pedometer.

However if you still need to buy one, the models here are reasonably priced, are easily obtained online and have good reviews. These are the best pedometers to buy in terms of accuracy and flexibility of use if you want something that is not too costly:-

The Omron HJ-112 Digital Pocket Pedometer has been given an average of 4.6 stars out of 5 by over 3000 Amazon buyers with comments such as “the best pedometer I have ever owned” and it is also Consumer Reports #1 rated digital pedometer so you can’t go far wrong with this one.

It uses the type of technology (the manufacturers call it Omron dual axis technology) that allows it to count steps accurately no matter which way you position it and this means you can wear it around your neck, clipped to your waistband or just carry it in your pocket or bag. This makes using a pedometer so much more convenient that it makes sense to look out for this functionality even if you don’t choose this particular pedometer.

The steps reset daily so you can log your daily totals (and if you forget to log a day before you go to bed there is a 7 day memory so no worries there).

It tracks two kinds of steps – the ones you take on a daily basis and aerobic steps where you are walking briskly. There’s no need to do this but you might find it interesting to see how many of each kind you are taking and whether you are increasing each kind equally.

It also measures time, distance, calories and fat grams burned, for extra motivation.

All in all a great buy – you can get it from Amazon.com here – and read all 3000 buyer reviews if you care to

Hint if you are in the UK: If you are in the UK, you can buy directly here, but I noticed that the price on the .com site is much lower than on the .co.uk site and therefore you may be better buying at .com and paying additional shipping. Alternatively choose the Omron Walking Style Pro Pedometer (see here) which also has an average of 4.6 out of 5 stars and over 90 reviews. This has similar functionality but also

interfaces with the Omron Health Management software so you can track your results on your computer (and includes a cable to link to the PC via a USB port and the software on disk)

has a 41 day memory rather than a 7 day memory

You might find it fun and motivating to track your progress that way – if not you can ignore the software altogether and just use your exceedingly good pedometer that is still great value.

If you are in the US and would like to get the Omron Health Management software, you can get this by choosing a slightly more expensive model than the Omron HJ-112 Pedometer available at this page.

It’s important to follow sensible guidelines to prevent injury when doing any kind of sport – even for walking. Here are some tips to help your stay mobile so you can keep up your walking program:-

Always warm up gradually if you want to get the maximum benefit from your workout. 5 minutes at a slower pace will help your muscles to acclimatize to exercise. Gradually increase the pace to the speed you want to aim for towards the end of your warm up period.

Don’t push yourself to go further or faster than you are capable of. Trying to do too much too soon is a major cause of injury. Of course, you need to push yourself a little to increase your fitness level but don’t “go for the burn” – it just isn’t necessary.

Wear good quality shoes which provide shock absorption and support. Get them properly fitted by a specialist shoe store, if you are buying new shoes for walking.

Cool down gradually after your walk so that your heart rate reduces gradually

Stretch after walking. Stretch the Achilles tendon, hamstring, and quadriceps areas and hold the positions. Don’t Bounce. See below for details of these stretches

Stretches for Walking

It’s best that you do not stretch before walking as muscles may be cold at that point and prone to injury. Warm up by walking at a slow to moderate pace for 5 minutes gradually speeding up at the start of any fitness walking session.

It IS useful to stretch AFTER walking if you have pushed yourself at all in your workout. This will help maintain flexibility and prevent any soreness you might experience the day after your fitness walk.

Stretching is great for the whole body and you can get great benefits by following a whole program to improve your flexibility but for walking the main stretches you need to concern yourself with are those for the Achilles tendon, quadriceps and hamstrings.

The Achilles tendon, is quite easily damaged if you do a lot of sprinting or jumping but it can also tighten up and reduce calf and foot flexibility after a long walk, particularly on rough terrain or hills. The tendon runs along the back of your lower leg connecting the calf muscles to the back of the heel.

For simple standing stretch to flex the Achilles tendon, stand about an arm’s length from a wall and lean forward placing both hands on the wall shoulder width apart. Extend one foot behind you with your heel on the ground and your knee bent. Slowly lean further in towards the wall and bend the knee until you feel a slight stretch in the back of the ankle just above the heel. Hold for 30 seconds then stretch the other side.

The hamstrings runs along the back of your thighs. To stretch the hamstring, stand with your right foot raised onto a chair or other stable object, parallel to the ground. Stretch your arms to touch your toes. Hold for 20 seconds then switch legs. If you are inside, you can stretch both hamstrings in one go by sitting with your legs stretched out in front of you and reaching out with arms outstretched towards your feet.

The quadriceps are the muscles that run along the front of the thighs. To help the quadriceps remain flexible, stretch as follows after walking. Keep your back straight and hold onto a stable object or wall for balance using your left hand. Bend the right leg behind you grasping the foot in the right hand at the ankle. Pull the foot gently towards the buttock to feel the stretch in the front of the thigh. Hold for 10 seconds. Then swap sides. Repeat 2 or 3 times for each leg. If your balance is good, you may be able to do the exercise without support as in the image above but don’t try this unless you know you are able to do it without falling over!